The University of Virginia community has returned from spring break and according to official announcements “is moving from initial shock and outrage at the report of a racially motivated assault on a student to efforts at healing and raising awareness of the need for diversity.”
Daisy Lundy, the alleged victim, who has just become president of the Student Council after her opponent withdrew to promote unity, issued a statement, put on the University’s new Voices of Diversity page, saying
too much attention has been focused on her and not enough on “the larger problem of exclusion that has plagued our University for far too long.”
“This is the story of our University undergoing change and learning how to weave diversity into its everyday fabric. Understanding the story, the history of what led to this incident, is imperative in moving forward,” she said.
Ms. Lundy went on to say that she believes the University’s president, vice president, and other officials “are sincere in their commitment to changing the climate at the University and to furthering diversity initiatives.”
I believe Ms. Lundy is right on both counts: the necessity of getting to the bottom of what happened to her; and the earnestness with which University officials pursue diversity. Regarding finding out what happened, the fact that there is now over $27,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of someone should lead to quick results. I would imagine that any “Nigger”-shouting racist student would have at least one or two friends for whom that reward would be more alluring than racial solidarity.
It is indeed difficult to see how the University could be much more supportive of diversity than it is. The president, John Casteen, has been sending out a University-wide statements every few days. In the last one, March 9, he wrote of current efforts as well as promising that future University actions, “including redoubled efforts to teach the values of human differences, of mutual respect, and of a community grounded in trust, openness, and inclusiveness will follow.”
The University’s diversity page announced a March Against Racial Hatred, to be held tomorrow, organized by the Committee for Progress on Race that was put together by law students and faculty after the reported assault.
“This is a beginning, not an end,” said Michael Signer, CPR
Setting aside the issue of Ms. Lundy’s veracity, and assuming her claims to be true, in what other context would use of a single word — any word — by an unknown individual lead to such mass hysteria and self-flagellation? How is it that one sentence by one anonymous person (who, if he exists at all, could probably charitably be described as a backwoods hick) causes an entire university to suddenly declare itself in need of marches, and committees, and “redoubled efforts”? Bizarre.